The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 159: Ch : Volunteering Help- Part 3

Zara was thorough with her work.

By the time she was done, Selene barely recognized herself.

Her usual dark hair was now a deep, fiery red, cascading in soft waves past her shoulders.

Her skin had a subtle warmer tone, and her eye color was slightly altered with light-tinted contacts that made them appear more brown than amber.

The outfit Zara had given her was simple—loose work pants, a long-sleeved tunic, and worn-out gloves that made her blend in with the laborers.

’I don’t look like myself. Fuck! The power of makeup is too Overpowered.’

Selene stared at her reflection in the mirror, stunned.

"This... isn’t me."

"That’s the point. No one will recognize you. See, aren’t I good? This was something I wanted to do professionally before I...well, died. It’s nice to see that my skills are still of some use."

Zara grinned as she spoke. She did not sound sorry or sad about having a short life which made Selene feel better.

It was nice to see that even death could not hold Zara back.

However, that did not mean that Selene felt comfortable with the idea of someone close to her dying.

And she felt even more uneasy about her new look.

It wasn’t just that she looked different—it was the hair.

Red.

Her father’s color.

She reached out and ran her fingers through the strands, lips pressing together in discomfort.

"I look like him. I don’t like this..."

She muttered under her breath.

Zara, who was adjusting her own hair, glanced over and raised a brow.

"You know...now that I see it, you actually look a lot like your siblings. Just a lot gentler compared to them. Maybe I should take a picture of this and show your siblings? I’m sure they would like to see it as well."

She said, tilting her head.

Selene stilled.

Zara continued casually.

"I never really noticed before, but now that your hair is red, I can really see the resemblance. It’s kinda cute, actually. Don’t you think so?"

Selene exhaled slowly.

That... made her feel a little better.

Zara might be rambling to make Selene feel better, and somehow, it was working.

Still, it was strange. None of them looked anything like their mother. Not even a little.

And no one ever commented about it either.

’How weird’

It was something she’d noticed before, but now that she was staring at herself—seeing his hair, his features—it made her thoughts spiral for a second.

She shook them away.

No time for that now.

Selene turned away from the mirror, straightened her posture, and nodded to Zara.

"Alright. Let’s see how well this disguise works."

She said.

______

With so many volunteers working at the site, it wasn’t hard for Selene to slip into the crowd unnoticed.

Even with her bright red hair, no one really paid her much attention. People were too busy working, focused on their own tasks, and Selene took full advantage of that.

She moved around the site, helping wherever she could. Lifting boxes, carrying tools, sweeping debris—anything to blend in naturally.

For the first few hours, everything seemed normal.

But then...

Lunchtime.

Selene followed the crowd towards the lunch area, her stomach grumbling slightly.

She waited in line, expecting to get her food just like everyone else—

But before she could move forward, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Wait!"

A woman whispered, pulling her back.

Selene turned, meeting the woman’s nervous gaze.

"The lunch for non-awakened will be served after the awakened have had theirs."

The woman murmured.

Selene frowned.

"Why?"

The woman’s grip on her shoulder tightened slightly.

"Please don’t speak so loudly. You’ll get in trouble if someone hears you."

She said, her tone urgent.

Trouble?

Selene’s brows knitted together. She wanted to push for answers, but the woman’s expression was filled with genuine fear.

"...Alright. I’ll wait."

She sighed.

She wasn’t happy about it, but she decided to observe first before making any rash decisions.

There was plenty of food, after all. No reason to panic.

Or so she thought.

When it was finally time for the non-awakened to eat, Selene stepped forward...

And froze.

The food was almost completely gone.

’What the hell?’

She scanned the remaining trays, finding only a few scraps left. The dishes that had been piled high with food earlier were now practically empty.

Her gaze flickered to the side—where the awakened workers sat, finishing their meals.

Some of them were still going back for seconds. Others were packing food into small containers, taking extra portions with them.

Selene narrowed her eyes.

She knew for a fact that awakening didn’t change a person’s appetite.

This wasn’t just people eating more.

Something else was happening here.

She turned to the workers beside her, lowering her voice.

"...Why is there barely any food left?"

She asked.

A worn-out looking man sighed.

"It happens every day."

He muttered.

Selene frowned.

"Why?"

Another woman spoke up, her voice tired.

"Because the awakened get to eat first. And some of them come back for more, leaving barely anything for us. They even pack lunch to take home."

Selene’s fingers curled into fists.

"That’s not how this is supposed to work. The food is prepared for everyone—"

She said.

"Shh!"

A hand yanked her arm, and Selene turned to see the same woman from earlier looking at her with panic in her eyes.

"Don’t say that out loud!"

She hissed.

Selene was baffled.

"Why not?"

"Because we’ll get in trouble. You don’t understand. If we complain, if we make too much noise... they’ll make things worse for us."

The woman whispered.

Selene’s stomach twisted.

She looked around, scanning the expressions of the other non-awakened workers.

Their faces were tired. Worn-down. Resigned.

It wasn’t just the lack of food.

They had already given up.

Selene felt something dark and heavy settle in her chest.

She took a slow breath, forcing her frustration down.

Now wasn’t the time to make a scene.

She needed to think.

She needed to observe more.

And most importantly—

She needed to figure out who was responsible for this.